The Not-So Perfect Muslim Twins [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Two: Pressure

Binyamin 

Hannah stood in the middle of the class suddenly quiet. It didn't help that Farrah was jabbing her arm. And that's when we realized that Hannah... had forgotten her part of the presentation. 

After quickly picking up where she left off, she didn't talk at all after that. It wasn't our final project. But the monthly debates were not something she would usually back out on. 

"What happened to you back there?" I heard Farrah whisper to Hannah as they sat down. 

"I forgot my part." She replied. Well with a dead sister, and a father in the hospital, I wouldn't blame her. But still, it was different from how she usually acted. 

"Well, if Binyamin wasn't so smart, we'd be screwed." She hissed. Hannah said nothing. 

"I don't get it. What's wrong with her? You're her friend. Don't you know what happened to her?" I asked Yadirah as soon as I got home. Yadirah turned around with a puzzled look on her face. 

"Who are we talking about again?" She asked. 

"Hannah. She zoned out during the presentation even though the topic we chose was what she wanted." She stared at me for a moment. 

"Are you worrying about... a girl?" She asked. 

"Talking to you is useless. Tell you're friend to get her act together." I snapped, then walked out. She followed me into my room. 

"Relax, I was just joking. I didn't see her for a couple of days. I usually only see her on Mondays and Thursdays. I didn't know something was wrong." She said quietly. "I'll talk to her tonight." She said. "Oh... and Saifullah called. He wanted to talk to you." She said, before leaving the room without looking back. It had been a very long time since Saifullah dropped by. Maybe two months at most. And usually he had started coming at least twice a month. I picked up the phone and dialed his number. He told me he was coming to the masjid and he wanted to meet me. I didn't know what it would be about. After Maghrib we met there, and on his face, he looked extremely happy to see me. When we sat down together, he started making small talk.

"Have you found any girl you want to marry yet?" He asked, hopefully. I stared at him for a moment and at that moment I realized the poor guy had waited long enough for my sister, and he was still ready to wait some more. I nodded. 

"It's just a matter of time before everything is settled." I lied. There was no girl in the picture. It was only my sister's happiness conflicting with her stubbornness and persistence. And where was I going to even find a girl this quick? Should I have just said yes to one of the random girls my mom kept inviting over? 

"That's great! I thought it might take even longer." He said. I smiled. What was I doing?

"Of course not." I replied. I always used to tell myself that marriage is no joke. But now I'm only certain that it will be. How am I ever going to find a girl in such a short time? 

It's almost impossible. Or no, no it wasn't... There was still one girl who would be willing to go through with this. Laiba.

"To be honest when your sister came up with that condition, I was surprised and confused. I mean, I thought it was going to be really simple. I find the girl I want to marry, she says yes, and then we get married." He said. 

"But nothing in life is that easy." I said. "It's always complicated. And the proposal and engagement are just the start of this complex phase called marriage." 

"Exactly." He replied. "Especially the patience part. I'm not sure I've exactly gotten that down yet." 

"Really? It sure looks like you have." I said. He shook his head.